Not All Electricity is Created Equal
Today, electricity is generated from cleaner and renewable energy sources like hydropower, geothermal, wind and solar. Because these sources are naturally replenished and produce little to no emissions when converted to electricity, they work to decrease the adverse effects of climate change. By 2025, UB will directly purchase 100% of our electricity from clean energy sources.
Sub-strategies
Phase I (pre-2022): Continue to procure 100% of electricity from Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) and reduce appropriately as project RECs become available
Phase II (2021): Achieve 50% of electricity sourced directly from clean energy sources through REV initiative
Phase III (2025): Achieve 100% of electricity sourced directly from clean energy sources through next phase of aggregation
Policies
New York State's energy and carbon reduction goals as well as the newly enacted Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act provide a solid foundation upon which the committee will work. In addition, our university will further policy development at the local level and continue partnering with NYSERDA and other community partners to leverage purchasing power of anchor community institutions for large scale renewable purchases.
Updates
Fall 2020 - Spring 2021
UB is on track to install approximately 12 megawatts of on-site solar within the year, which will consist of ground-mounted arrays as well as rooftops. This will increase campus capacity by 15 times the current levels. In addition to the on-site work, a consortium of local institutions, including UB, is also drafting an off-site RFP that will boost overall acquisition to 50% of UB’s overall electricity consumption.
Committee
Captain: Ryan McPherson, chief sustainability officer
Suzanne Gentz, Director, Facilities Finance
Avis Grundler, Utilities Specialist/Analyst, Facilities Finance
Dominic Lotempio, Director of Procurement Systems and Compliance, Procurement Services
Lawrence Poturalski, Electrical Engineer, Design and Construction